Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee
by Hopeful Romantic
Summary: Cain teaches DG to fight... -Story now complete-
1. Teach Me

**Disclaimer:** There are many things I own, but Tin Man is not one of them(unless you count DVDs) Tin Man belongs to Steven L. Mitchell, Craig W. Van Sickle, and all the other grand high Mucky Mucks of Sci-Fi. No copyright infringement is intended, and of course no money was made from this. Any similarity to any other story not my own is coincidence.

**Title:** ~Teach Me~(Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee)  
**Genre:** AU/Romance/PWP; Dorothy Gale/Wyatt Cain  
**Rating:** NC-17 over-all, though this chapter is only PG  
**Timeline:** Sometime after the mini-series  
**Background:** First, I imagine that everyone has split up: Raw has gone back to his people, the Queen and her Consort are in Central City rebuilding things there, and Cain, DG, Azkadellia, Glitch, Tutor, and a small contingent off people are off in a safe-house by Lake Verdemere(to be not only safe, but for everyone to recover, as well as for the princesses to further train for things). Also, Im going with the notion that it _would_ indeed take a bit to rebuild after the reign of the Sorceress, and there would certainly be people still after the princesses, hence the safe-house.  
**Author's Notes:** I know that it has been long and long between writing the first part of this little fic(particularly since it _is_ essentially just PWP) and the second part part, but what can I say *shrug* RL sometimes gets in the way of the really important stuff. *wry grin* But seriously, I have finally finished it, and in the process, cleaned-up the first two chapters, hence re-posting them now.

Just for note this chapter can be read as a stand-alone if PWP isn't your cup 'a' tea.

Oh, and the main title is of course the first part of the Muhammad Ali quote, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."

* * *

**Teach Me

* * *

**

_~To reach me, you must move to me~_

-Bruce Lee

* * *

"I really don't see why this is necessary," DG said, not for the first time as she threw her dark hair back into a loose ponytail that left only a few curls free to brush against her cheeks.

"Because, Princess," Wyatt explained patiently, "You seem to be prone to... _adventures_."

DG quirked an eyebrow.

"And I'm not always going to be able to be there with you," he continued undeterred.

"I _am_ capable of taking care of myself, Mr. Cain," DG replied dryly. "Mostly..." she conceded in a soft undertone.

Wyatt's lip curved up ever so slightly.

"Humor an old man."

Again, the princess quirked an eyebrow.

"You're far from old," she countered almost absently.

"Then do it, knowing that it'll let me rest easier in my bed at night," he argued, surprised to see her blush lightly. "Princess?"

"All right... all right," she sighed, positioning herself on the light exercise mats. "After all, having you worry about me is not one of the ways I'd like to keep you up nights," DG teased, tempted to laugh when she saw the tips of the ex-tin man's ears redden. Instead, she focused on widening her cornflower blue eyes and giving Cain a look of blameless innocence.

Wyatt sighed and joined her on the mats that covered the scarred wooden floor. He took a deep breath and set his body into a loose _en garde_ position, bringing his arms up and curling his hands into fists.

"Glitch still thinks that you should let him teach me _Za'mi'do_ instead."

"_Za'mi'do_ is for show," Cain replied in a gruff voice. "I need you to be able to defend yourself anyway you can, Princess; not just look pretty."

DG smiled brightly.

"Ahh... Cain, you think I'm pretty," she teased in a sing-song sort of voice, smiling at the way her Tin Man's ears reddened.

"DG..." he almost growled in rough embarrassment.

"Okay... Okay..." she soothed, trying to sober herself as she faced Cain and mirrored his _en garde_ position. "I'm ready to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee."

The ex-tin man shook his head slightly in response, waiting for the princess to make her first sparring move. When she did, it was to move quickly, trying to catch him off-guard with a swift kick. He parried it easily and returned with a quick punch of his own. DG nearly missed blocking it, but she succeeded at the last moment, and danced away.

"Good job, Kiddo," he encouraged her. "Again..."

DG made a tentative punch forward that Cain easily deflected.

"Don't hesitate, Princess."

She punched forward again, and again, her opponent quickly deflected the movement.

"Come on, give it another try."

DG sighed in mild frustration and did as Cain directed, but this time, when he parried her forward jab, she surprised him and grabbed his wrist before punching out with her other fist. The maneuver didn't connect, but DG saw pride in Wyatt's ice blue eyes nonetheless.

"That's it, Kiddo. Try again."

She did, and though she missed, she did anticipate Cain's riposte quickly enough to duck low and roll out of range before coming back up to face him. The look of admiration in his eyes was enough to set a low beat of pleasure racing through DG's veins, quickly followed by a rush of adrenaline as she blocked a jab from the ex-tin man trying to break through her guard.

"Good," he said in simple praise.

DG smiled brightly and dropped her guard.

"You can't get over confident though, Kiddo," Wyatt warned her as he grabbed the princess' arm and pulled her around. He held her against him, her back to his chest.

DG tried to flip him over, but her leverage was wrong and Cain was too heavy. All she succeeded in doing was pressing herself to him and letting Wyatt get a better grip.

"Never drop your guard, and never let your opponent get too close," the ex-tin man advised, his breath hot along her ear. "Now what are you going to do, Kiddo?"

"This," she replied before shifting slightly and hooking her foot behind Cain's leg. She slipped out of his grasp enough to pull with her leg and bring him down as she stepped neatly out of the way.

She didn't expect him to roll to his side though and use his own legs to sweep hers out from under her. DG went down just hard enough to knock a little of the breath from her chest.

"Not quite the way I imagined you sweeping me off of my feet," she couldn't help but tease somewhat breathlessly.

Cain quirked an eyebrow almost playfully, reaching his hand out to help her up.

"And just _how_ have you imagined me sweeping you off of your feet, Princess?"

DG met his eyes a moment, surprised to see a hint of something that made her pulse race with more than just adrenaline.

"I... that is..."

Wyatt gave her a familiar quirk of his lip before sliding his hand out of hers and letting the moment pass quietly.

"You have to remember to keep moving," he said, returning to the lesson.

"Keep moving; right," DG echoed, bouncing lightly on her feet. "Float like a butterfly."

The princess danced around Cain for a moment, and her sudden _awareness _of him hit her almost like a breath-taking punch; his easy masculine grace, the smooth play of muscle hidden beneath cool cotton and polished buttons, the blue impossibility of his eyes. Suddenly, he wasn't her sometimes reluctant protector, wasn't a tin man, or even Cain. Suddenly he was _Wyatt._

"And avoid distractions," he added in a rough voice that nearly made her tremble with that unexpected _awareness. _

DG flicked a glance to the almost overwhelmingly intensity of his gaze.

"Distractions..." she murmured thoughtfully, flicking her wrist to whirl a small orb of light around the man facing her. It flashed out of existence with a mild brightness that forced Cain to close his eyes.

"Sting like a bee," she said in a soft undertone, pushing just hard enough with her magic to set Wyatt off balance. A quick foot sweep sent him to the floor and let DG pin him there with her light weight.

"Cain?" She asked softly when he kept his eyes closed, breathing quietly. "Cain?"

He opened his eyes slowly.

"You did say that _Zo Ku_ was about doing anything I could to defend myself," she offered with a hint of uncertainty.

"I did," he reassured her. "But if you ever get the opportunity to do that in a real fight..."

Suddenly, he rolled them both, deftly shifting to put DG beneath him so that he was half laying, half straddling her and supporting his weight with his arms.

"You should take the chance afterwards to run..."

DG shifted beneath him, but Cain compensated by letting her feel a little bit more of his weight, effectively pinning her. He shifted his weight to his legs and grabbed her hands, bringing them up above her head.

"Make the light brighter and the push harder, then run," he continued.

DG nodded as she licked her lips quickly, a little disconcerted that she saw Cain note the quiet gesture with a surprisingly intent look. She shifted again when he still didn't let her up from the pin.

"You aren't heavy enough to keep an opponent pinned, and once they pin you, you can't reverse it," Wyatt explained.

DG smiled softly and then pushed, using a touch of magic to once again reverse their positions.

"I wouldn't exactly say that, Tin Man," she said with a small laugh, shifting until she straddled his hips.

Impulsively, she leaned down to brush her lips over his, thinking nothing of the easy show of affection. But when Cain froze as if he had been suddenly thrown back into a Tin Suit, DG was afraid that she had unintentionally rushed one too many fences with him. She held herself still, trying to ignore just how warm Cain's lips were beneath her own, and just how wonderful his breath felt against her skin.

"Dorothy..." he whispered against her mouth, sending DG's heart careening about her chest. Then suddenly, Wyatt was kissing her, and her heart seemed to stop a moment before finding a wild beat to match his.

"Wyatt..." she murmured, his name tasting rich on her tongue.

He smiled against her lips before his tongue whispered gently against them and she deepened the kiss, responding in kind. She moaned into his mouth and his lips deftly captured the sound. Then slowly, they shifted until Cain was sitting and DG was settled in his lap, not breaking their kiss until they were both breathless and dizzy with sensation.

"This is..." Cain murmured before reaching out to loosen her hair and letting the wild curls brush down to her cheeks before burying his hands in them. "Oh this is..."

"Me kissing you," DG whispered before capturing his lips with hers again until they were once more breathless and giddy.

"DG..." Wyatt moaned softly in a voice that hummed against her skin before he began trailing kisses like rose petals along her jaw line and down her throat.

"Yes..."

His kisses trailed lower and DG bowed back, arching into the caress, letting Cain slide his hands down her back to support her. He kissed his way lower still.

"There you two are," Glitch said as he entered the small room that served as a training room in the Royal safe house. "General Aruónot and would like to speak to..." he said, trailing off when he saw DG and Cain practically jumping away from each other.

"Are you still trying to learn that Resistance fighting, Doll?" Glitch asked the princess before turning to Cain. "I still think you should let me teach her _Za'mi'do _Cain."

"It's okay, Glitch. I like learning with Cain. And I think I'm actually getting better," she said brightly, if somewhat breathlessly. "Besides," she added, looking back at the ex-tin man with a sweetly wicked smile that Glitch couldn't see. "I think that Cain actually enjoys our lessons too."

Wyatt made an almost strangled sort of sound and quickly reached for his fedora to cover his reddened ears. The former advisor looked quickly between the pair with a curious expression on his face. He opened his mouth to comment when Cain interrupted him.

"You needed something?"

"What? Oh... oh yes," he said, recalling his purpose with abrupt nervous energy. "General Aruónot wanted to speak to you and DG. She sent me to find you both."

"Well then, we should go," the princess said with a grin. "The sooner we see what she wants, the sooner Cain and I can get back to sparring lessons."

Glitch nodded and headed out the door as DG glanced back to Cain. She watched nervously as he tipped his hat down to slant over his eyes.

"We are going to continue this lesson aren't we, Wyatt?" She asked, a hint of pained uncertainty coloring her voice.

He stepped close enough that his breath was a soft whisper in her ear.

"I'd like that, Princess," he replied in a low rumble that shivered through her.

DG saw the small curve of his lips, and though his fedora hid his eyes, she was certain that they were smiling too. She grinned herself and followed him out the door...


	2. Taking Chances

_AN: It was suggested that I might continue this story, so... Also, please see chapter one for disclaimer and further notes...

* * *

_**Taking Chances

* * *

**

_~ Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze _

_your skin and you smash into his flesh... Do not be concerned with escaping safely - lay _

_your life before him.~_

-Bruce Lee

_

* * *

_

DG hesitated, her hand hovering over the cool metal of the unadorned brass doorknob.

"What am I doing?" she murmured, looking about nervously to assure herself that she was still alone in the hallway. "This is..."

She grasped the doorknob. It turned, and as quickly as she could, she slipped into Wyatt Cain's room.

"Crazy..." she whispered as the ex-tin man instinctively sat up on his simple military bed, his pistol aimed easily in her direction.

DG pressed back against the door, closing it even as she raised her hands, palms out in a calming gesture.

"Whoa there, Cowboy, it's just me, DG."

"DG?"

Wyatt threw his light blankets back and swung his legs over the edge of the bed before quickly lowering his gun.

"What's happened? What's wrong?" He asked immediately, looking toward the door and listening intently, trying determine exactly what sort of danger they were facing.

"Wrong?" The princess echoed in a moment's confusion. "What?"

She glanced back at the door as Cain shifted his hand on his gun.

"DG?"

"Oh," the princess murmured in understanding, turning her head back to meet his eyes just a moment before lowering her hands to tug almost fitfully on the lace hem of her blue silk camisole.

"Nothing... nothing's wrong, Cain," she assured him quickly. "I just... that is... I just thought..." Dorothy's normally deft tongue stumbled over itself as the rational part of her mind finally caught up with the impulsive part and started awkwardly pushing it out of the driver's seat.

"Princess, are you all right?"

DG was suddenly, achingly aware of Wyatt's intensely blue gaze focused entirely on her.

She ducked her head.

"Kiddo?"

"This plan sounded so much better in my head," she muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"So much better..." she repeated quietly enough that the words were nearly a silent whisper.

Cain set his gun down on the small table next to his bed and padded in bare feet over to DG.

"DG..."

"Oh, God..."

The princess finally risked meeting the ex-tin man's eyes and took a deep breath as if diving into the ocean.

"I... I was going to slip into your room and do my best Lauren Becall imitation and remind you that we never got to _continue our lesson_," she replied simply.

Cain quirked an eyebrow and focused on the part of her confession that he most understood. "Our lesson?"

"This afternoon, you _did_ say that you'd like to continue our lesson. So I thought... but now I have to admit that..." DG explained brokenly, even as she felt the flush on her face creeping lower. "Oh, God, this plan sounded so much better when it was just in my head."

DG ducked her head again and plucked nervously at her camisole, missing the moment that Cain's eyes widened in understanding before narrowing in thought.

"Our lesson..." he echoed softly, bringing DG's gaze back to his almost against her will before it darted anxiously over his face seconds later.

Wyatt stepped closer and Dorothy felt his warmth like sunshine caressing her skin. Even closer, and she suddenly felt like a sunflower, drawn to his warmth, helpless to resist his pull. Her eyes locked with his.

"Is that really what you want, DG?"

"Oh yes, Wyatt," she murmured, noting how his eyes slipped closed and his body froze attentively at the sound of his name on her lips. She licked her own in response. "Let me show you how I've wanted to keep you up nights," she challenged with a mischievous smile hidden from his serious eyes.

Suddenly bold with him standing so close to her, DG reached out to trail her fingertips lightly down Cain's bare chest, fascinated by the way his muscles tightened beneath his skin and his breath caught in his throat.

"This is..." he said, his voice rich and rumbling.

"What we both want," DG interrupted with a soft smile as she quietly regained her natural daring.

Cain slowly opened his eyes, letting his gaze drift almost languidly over the seductive picture she made, leaning back against his door and clad only in silk that clung temptingly to her curves.

"You're not just humoring an old man?" He teased with a wry smile of his own.

"You're far from old," DG countered, letting her own eyes boldly admire his strong, lean lines before her fingertips danced along them, slipping through the soft hairs on his chest.

Cain's breath fell from his lips in a ragged sigh.

"Float like a butterfly," she whispered, letting her fingers hover at the waistband of his flannel sleeping pants.

She brushed her lips tenderly to the warm curve of his shoulder before nipping lightly. "Sting like a bee..." the princess murmured, blowing softly against his skin, pleased to see him shiver in response.

"Don't hesitate," Cain encouraged her in a low rumble.

Dorothy smiled before nuzzling his neck, chasing the shivers until she found a particularly appealing spot. Tenderly, she gave him an open mouthed kiss, suckling gently, encouraged by his moans even though she knew that she was almost certainly leaving a mark.

"Dorothy..." he caressed her name with his tongue while his hands slid to her hips, fingertips brushing against skin and silk. "Dorothy..."

Wyatt molded his body to hers and DG could feel the intimate press of the rough, scarred wooden door against her back.

"Yes..." she whispered against his shoulder before tilting her head back.

With a profound tenderness, Cain began to trail kisses softer than rose petals down her neck and to the hollow of her throat. He lingered there a moment, tracing quiet secrets against her fluttering pulse, entrusting them to her heart.

"Don't hesitate," DG echoed, her voice an aching sigh.

Wyatt smiled softly and trailed his kisses still lower, stopping only when he had reached the delicate lace that curved above the gentle swell of her breasts.

"Wyatt..." she nearly begged when he seemed to show no intention of continuing. "Wyatt, please..."

Unexpectedly, Cain dropped his head down and took one of DG's nipples into his mouth, caressing it through the smooth silk.

"Oh God, Wyatt..." she gasped in surprise, feeling not just her nipple, but her whole body go taut with pleasure. "Oh God..."

DG looked down finally, nearly overwhelmed by the sight of Cain's head bent over her, his mouth caressing her breast.

"Is this what you imagined happening between us, DG?" He almost hummed.

She moaned in response, lost in feeling the delicious slide of hot, wet silk between his lips and her skin.

"And this..."

DG gasped as she felt the soft scrape of Wyatt's teeth through the fabric and arched back against the door, trying to press herself closer to her Tin Man's very talented mouth.

"Because it's what I've dreamt about," he murmured, his breath teasing over her nipple and causing Dorothy to shudder even as she plucked almost frantically at the silk between them.

"Oh..." the princess moaned helplessly.

"Late at night," Cain continued, letting his attentions shift to her other breast, capturing the nipple through the silk. "Alone in my bed," he breathed, caressing her until the only thing holding her steady were his hands on her hips.

It was too much; it wasn't nearly enough. She needed…

"More…" the princess half sighed, half begged, still pulling fitfully at her camisole.

Wyatt responded by lifting his head up from DG's breast and giving her a subtle smile before sliding his hands very slowly and gently under the hem of her camisole. He let his hands drift upwards, the silk pooling around his wrists as he slid them higher, his fingertips brushing under the soft curves of her breasts.

Suddenly, a knock on the door made them both freeze.

"Mr. Cain..."

Wyatt abruptly pulled away from DG and she felt his loss like a keen ache in her chest, so much so, that she gasped in near pain.

"Mr. Cain... please..." the muffled voice called again from the other side of the door.

The ex-tin man moved to retrieve his long coat from a nearby chair and slipped into it before grabbing his shirt as well. He held it out to DG.

She hesitated.

"DG, we have to..."

With an aching sigh, the princess took Cain's shirt and stepped away from the door as he answered it.

"Mr. Cain..."

"Your Highness?"

"Mr. Cain, it's DG, she's missing. I woke up, and she was just... gone... I've looked for her... but..." Azkadellia's voice grew increasingly more agitated as she spoke. "Mr. Cain, we have to find her. I can't... she can't be..."

"Az..." DG interrupted her sister, stepping into view and pulling Cain's shirt tighter around herself. "Az... it's okay. I'm right here," she comforted as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"DG?"

"I'm sorry Az, I didn't mean to worry you. I just couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to wake you, so I... I went for a walk. Then I saw Cain's light..."

"Blessed Lurline, DG, I was..." Azkadellia interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Az, truly. I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm sorry," she offered stepping in front of Cain to face her worried sister.

"You and your adventures," the older princess murmured under her breath.

"I did say I was sorry, Az," DG repeated gently, moving closer.

"Just... just wake me next time, okay?"

The younger princess smiled a little. "I promise." She stepped into the threshold. "Come on, Az, let's go back to bed. I'll try to get to get some sleep this time; no more wandering."

Azkadellia nodded and looked around her little sister to the ex-tin man standing silently behind her.

"Goodnight Mr. Cain."

"Goodnight, your Highness."

The elder princess turned and moved a few feet down the hallway.

DG turned back to Cain for a moment, watching him. He stepped near enough to brush his fingertips over her cheek, the mere hint of a caress.

"Goodnight, Wyatt."

"I intend to continue this lesson with you later, Princess," he whispered with a familiar small smile.

"I'll take that as a promise, Tin Man" she murmured in return, shivering as he trailed his hand down to rest lightly over her rapid heartbeat. "And we both know that a Tin Man always keeps his promises."

"_Always_..." Wyatt assured her before gently turning her back to the door. "Now go on, before your sister starts to worry," he added with a quiet amusement tickling his breath against her neck.

DG smiled herself then and left, savoring the feeling of Wyatt's promise, heavy on her skin...


	3. The Art of Altering Perceptions

_AN: Please see chapter one for disclaimer and further notes

* * *

_

**The Art of Altering Perceptions

* * *

**

_If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will _

_disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. _

_Respond like and echo._

-Bruce Lee  


* * *

"I've been waiting," Cain's low voice announced without any preamble, and DG whirled about, almost stumbling into the ex-tin man standing behind her.

"Oh... oh... Cain," she stammered, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes underneath the tilted brim of his fedora, and finding herself unable to. Wyatt tilted the brim of his hat lower, shading his eyes from the late afternoon sun that slanted through the trees and sparkled off of the green tinted waves of the_ Verdemere_.

"Our lesson?" He asked simply.

"Our lesson?" DG echoed before her eyes went wide. "Our lesson! Oh, Cain, I'm sorry. I just..."

She gave an expansive wave of her arm, gesturing to her sister and Glitch.

"Az was teaching me... and then Glitch... and I..."

DG glance up at Cain.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Really, Cain."

He nodded once and then turned to go.

"Wait!" DG said to Wyatt's broad back, stopping him where he stood. "Don't you want to see what Az has been teaching me?"

Slowly, he turned around. Dorothy clapped once and half bounced on the balls of her feet. She grinned and made a small gesture in a seemingly random direction before smiling expectantly at Cain.

Glitch clapped and Azkadellia seemed pleased, but the ex-tin man said nothing.

"Cain?"

"What?" He asked after a few moments.

DG's face fell and Wyatt tipped his hat up. "I don't see anything," he admitted.

Glitch suddenly laughed. "Of course you didn't, Tin Man, that _is _the whole point after all." He laughed a bit more, almost inordinately pleased with her friend's bemused expression.

"I've been teaching DG _Zo'yei_," Azkadellia explained, giving Glitch a gently quelling look that stopped his laughter.

"The art of altering perception," DG added. "See."

She made another tiny gesture and Cain watched as a small, moss-covered rock appeared to wink back into existence.

"I can only do it with small, inanimate things right now, but Az says that if I practice, I can do more. It's how she and Tutor are keeping this place and all of us hidden."

Cain raised an eyebrow and looked to the elder princess.

"You've taught her how to make people and things invisible?" He asked in a dry voice. "You've taught your creative and... _adventurous_... sister this?"

Azkadellia's expression changed as she considered the ex-tin man's words.

"Hey!" DG exclaimed and swung her arm out in a move intended to lightly punch Cain on the shoulder.

Wyatt smiled quietly and caught her fist.

"Ready for your _Zo Ku_ lesson then?" He asked, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"I still think you should let me teach her _Za'mi'do_, Cain," Glitch suggested, popping up from the log he had been sitting on. He held his arms out almost as if he were going to fly and bent his right knee up so that his foot was lifted off of the ground.

Wyatt released DG's hand gently and reached up for his hat. He set it aside carefully and quickly did the same with his duster. All the while, Glitch watched him carefully.

"Come here," Cain directed the former royal advisor as he stepped away from the princesses and into

a clear area near the shoreline. "Let me show you why you're not teaching the kid, _Za'mi'do_."

Glitch nodded a little nervously, but went to face off with the ex-tin man.

"_Za'mi'do_ is traditionally taught in academies where the floors are made of marble and the light comes from some crystal chandelier over your head."

"I don't..."

"I'm sure that it was even something Her Highness was being taught as a child," Cain continued, catching Azkadellia's small nod out of the corner of his eye.

"As a matter of fact," Glitch said proudly. "I was teaching her... I think..." he added, his memory filtered through his customary confusion. "It has always been taught to the royal heirs," he continued a bit more confidently before swinging his leg out in a perfectly executed kick.

"It is an elegant and graceful fighting style that has been with us since the Ancients," he added, sounding as much like his former self as he ever had.

Cain dodged the blow, though it did come close enough that Glitch was rightly pleased. He smiled and Wyatt nodded in acknowledgment of the former advisor's skill.

"And it works well on those marble floors," the ex-tin man conceded. "Under a nice white light coming from a crystal chandelier."

He grunted as he took a few smooth kicks and swinging blows from Glitch.

"But, when it doesn't work..." Wyatt drawled before he kicked down and up quickly, creating a sudden cloud of thick white sand and pebbles. "Is when you can't see a damn thing."

Then he made a sudden rush forward before ducking low and sweeping out his leg in a blind arc that was still focused enough to reach his opponent.

"And there are no nice, solid, marble floors at your feet."

There was a loud splash and an a cry of distress from Glitch.

"And your opponent doesn't give a damn how pretty it looks, just if it works and leaves him the only one standing."

The last of the glittering sand fell back down revealing a very wet, very chagrined looking Glitch sitting in the cool waves of the lake.

"And that..." Cain said, bracing his feet and reaching a careful hand out to his friend. "Is why you aren't teaching _Za'mi'do_ to the princess."

Glitch grabbed Wyatt's offered hand and was hauled back up to his feet.

"Because out of all the things she is, DG is most definitely _not _a crystal chandelier, marble hall kind of princess."

Glitch smiled a bit wryly in agreement.

"Well, now that that's settled," Azkadellia said dryly. "Why don't we leave DG to her other lessons and see to getting you some dry clothes," she suggested to the former advisor.

Glitch nodded and splashed his way out of the water before giving Cain a wet salute and Dorothy a damp grin.

"Give 'em hell, Doll."

DG smiled and waited until her sister and friend were well out of ear shot and on their way back to the safe-house before whirling toward Cain.

"So... Mr. Cain," she drawled pleasantly, snatching his hat up and settling it on her own dark curls. "If I'm not a marble hall sort of princess, then just what kind of princess am I?"

He gave her one of his small, familiar smiles.

"The troublesome, adventurous kind," he replied, not missing a beat. "The stubborn, headstrong, single-minded kind," Wyatt continued, still smiling, even as he stepped toward DG. "The unpredictable, entirely too smart for her own good kind," he couldn't resist adding, startling her little as he reached for the soft cotton of the shirt she was wearing; his shirt. He pulled her toe to toe with him and DG met his eyes, surprised to see them darkened with undisguised attraction.

"The perfect kind," he practically whispered, surprising her still further by leaning down and kissing her gently.

"The perfect kind?" Dorothy murmured against his lips.

"Perfect for me..." he breathed, kissing her again before gently plucking up his fedora. "Doesn't mean you're keeping my hat though," Cain said, placing it back on his own head. "And..." he drawled, tugging at the shirt she was wearing. "I'm going to want my shirt back too," he added with a small smile before kissing her on the forehead and turning to head back to the safe-house.

"Of course..." Dorothy replied to herself with a smile before jogging a few paces to catch up with Cain...


	4. When the Student is Ready

_AN: _Okay, so I think I'm really toeing the line with this chapter, because, well, technically it is mature in content. It is graphic, but not not necessarily explicitly so (language-wise), and honestly, I'd like to have the completed story all in one place, especially since this is the only totally mature part of it. But, that said, I also wanted to warn people that this is definitely not a kiddie-safe chapter and those who do not like PWP, should not read it. *grin*

_AN 2: _Please see chapter one for disclaimer and further notes.

* * *

**When the Student is Ready**

_Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, _

_often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, _

_our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable. _

~Bruce Lee

* * *

Wyatt sat up quickly in his bed, his pistol aimed unerringly in the direction of the unexpected presence in his room.

"You know, princess," he drawled. "This could be a very dangerous habit you're developing."

DG watched as Cain sighed and set his gun aside on the small table near his bed, then flushed when she saw his eyes narrow and darken in the cool moonlight that filtered in through the unshuttered window.

"Very dangerous," he repeated, taking in her attire.

DG tugged nervously at the hem of Cain's shirt, the only thing she was wearing, and the longest part of which only fell to mid-thigh on her smaller frame.

"I thought that this would be easier the second time around," the princess babbled softly. "I mean, it would stand to reason, especially since... I mean knowing that... it should be easier this time." She sighed and resisted the urge to sink into the floorboards, or, at the very least, run out the door. "Why do these things always sound so much better in my head?" She asked whatever higher being might have been listening.

"DG, what's going on?"

Wyatt swung his legs over the edge of the bed, watching DG and letting his eyes trace over every enticing curve and curl.

"Déjà vu ," she replied. "_Major _déjà vu,"she sighed.

"Déjà vu?" Cain asked, rolling the unfamiliar words over his tongue like some exotic liqueur.

"You know," Dorothy replied, waving her hand vaguely. "The feeling that we've done all this

before... all of this here..." she said, waving her hand between them. "Everything..."

She ducked her head. "And somehow it still always ends up sounding better in my head," she

muttered quietly before forcing herself to look back up as bravely as she could.

Wyatt stood up, letting the blanket fall where it would.

"Everything?" He asked thoughtfully, as if considering the very meaning of the word.

He started moving toward her with an undeniable intensity and masculine grace that suddenly set DG's pulse racing. So much so, that the princess found herself taking a few steps back and fetching up against the tapestry covered wall behind her.

"I wouldn't say... everything..." Wyatt drawled when he finally stood directly in front of DG, his voice caressing her. He placed his hands to either side of her, pressing them against the wall and leaning toward her. "I wouldn't say that at all," he practically whispered.

DG took a ragged breath when she saw his eyes darkening with what could only be considered, desire.

"Would you?"

The princess shook her head silently, watching as he smiled the smallest bit.

"Why are you here, DG?" Wyatt suddenly prompted.

It took a moment, but Dorothy finally replied, "I came to give you your shirt back." She smiled.

"You _did _say you wanted it back, didn't you?"

"I did," Cain agreed quietly, letting one of his hands wander to the topmost button. He fingered it thoughtfully before finally sliding it loose. He trailed his hand lower, to the next button down. "I did say that." Again, he fingered the button before finally working it open. He slid his hand still lower, even as DG began to shiver softly at his touch. "Because I do... like this shirt..." he murmured before popping another button loose and bending forward to nuzzle softly at her neck.

"And..." he whispered into the warm curve of her shoulder, sliding yet another button open with his fingers. "Even if you look..."

Another button opened beneath Cain's deft finger work.

"Entirely too good in it..."

He had almost reached the last button as he started to trail kisses lower, lingering at the hollow of her throat only to whisper, "I can't help..."

He slid loose the last button and gently brushed the shirt open. "But wonder what you look like..."

Wyatt brushed his lips finally over the soft swell of DG's breast and she sighed.

"Without it..."

"Oh..." Dorothy sighed almost helplessly.

"Besides..." he continued, moving his mouth gently to her nipple before claiming it with tender attention. "This time," he breathed against her now wet skin, causing her to shiver. "I want to taste you..."

He captured the raised peak of her nipple gently with his teeth before circling it with his tongue. Only when DG was gasping, her breath almost too loud in the stillness of Cain's room, did he pause to whisper, his lips brushing against her sensitized skin, "Just you..."

He turned to lavish his attentions on her other nipple.

"Only you," he rumbled in a voice gone rough with heat and desire.

DG moaned softly and was surprised to feel Wyatt smile against her skin before beginning to trail hot kisses like liquid fire down her body. She looked down to find him kneeling before her, his fingertips toying with the waistband of her underwear.

"Cain..."

"I want to taste you," he repeated softly, smiling a wicked sort of smile that DG was certain she had never seen before, and was equally certain was designed solely to make her pulse beat hotly beneath her skin.

"Wyatt..."

He looked up at DG with hooded eyes so dark, they were nearly black in the moonlit room. Slowly, ever so slowly, he hooked his fingertips under silken fabric, never looking away from her eyes, even as he slid her underwear down and off of her.

"I want to taste _all _of you," he murmured before letting his lips brush against the secret places of her body.

"Oh God..." DG wasn't sure which was making her weaker, the touch of his mouth on her, or the way his breath caressed her as he spoke. She felt her knees trembling and was suddenly terrified that they were going to give out on her and drop her unceremoniously to the ground.

"DG... are you okay? Should I stop?"

"No...no...I'm fine," she gasped in reply. "I'm fine... just...who knew you would be this chatty," she added helplessly, the words slipping from her lips before she could stop them.

Dorothy felt the heat of Wyatt's warm laugh sinking into her even as his hands moved to her hips, splaying wide to hold her steady. She anchored herself to the feeling of his fingers pressed gently into her flesh as he began to caress her.

"Sweet Lurline... you taste so good," he murmured as if intoxicated by her. "Like papay fruit and honey spice..." Wyatt murmured as he drank her in like a rich wine until she was breathless with pleasure and an aching need for more.

DG moaned and tangled her fingers in the smooth folds of the tattered tapestry as she pressed her back against the wall, hips rocking helplessly against the warm persistence of Cain's mouth.

"So good..."

"Wyatt..." She gasped, so close to coming completely undone that it felt like she might fall apart in his hands at any moment.

"Yes... come for me, Princess," Cain urged her softly in a voice meant only for her. "Come for me, Dorothy... let me taste everything... all of you..."

"Wyatt... I'm not... I can't... I'm going to..."

"I'm right here," he reassured her gently, holding her steady as she started to tremble. "I've got you."

DG's head fell back with the dizzying realization that the only thing keeping her up was the now almost searing heat of Wyatt's hands splayed wide over hips. Her own hands opened and pressed, hard palmed, against the wall as she started to come shamelessly undone, her cries undeniable proof of it.

"Oh God... Wyatt..." she moaned, clinging to his name as she shivered and trembled.

"Yes sweetheart..." he whispered in a voice that was half encouragement, half endearment, holding her as she came with a last shuddering cry.

When DG finally regained some possession of herself, she looked down to meet Cain's wholly masculine expression of pride.

"Someone's very pleased with himself," she teased with a small smile.

Wyatt chuckled softly, but didn't deny it as he slowly began to drift upwards, trailing caresses and open mouthed kisses in his wake.

"Very pleased..." she sighed, watching with fascination as he made his way up her body.

"Very pleased," he agreed, slowly licking his bottom lip and making her bite her own in response before catching her breath. Then he smiled that wicked sort of smile that she knew she could get to love, and gently slid his hands under the shirt hanging off of her shoulders.

"Breathe, DG..." he murmured softly.

She sighed in response and Cain smiled quietly as he brushed the shirt off of her shoulders and down her arms. He kissed her tenderly once before shrugging out of his own flannel sleeping pants and then kissing her again with devastating skill.

"Float like a butterfly... isn't that what you like to say?" He asked softly, his hands drifting to her hips as he smiled with an almost surprising playfulness.

"Yes.." DG whispered in reply, slipping her fingers into his short hair as he lifted her up and slid into her in one smooth motion.

"Sweet Lurline," Wyatt moaned as the princess wrapped her legs tightly around him. "It feels..."

"Oh yes..." she sighed as she let her hands fall to his shoulders. She slid them down his back, enjoying the play of muscles she felt dancing underneath her fingertips.

"DG... it feels... you feel..."

"So good..." she sighed, catching his rhythm as her eyes fell closed and her head fell back.

"Don't close your eyes, Princess," Wyatt said, in a voice gone rough with emotion as he brushed a kiss over each of her eyes. He slid his hands from her hips and up her body, sinking himself deeper into her as he pressed her hard to the wall.

"Look at me, Dorothy," he urged, coaxing her arms up and pinned her hands with his own. "I want to see you," he whispered, his words as hot as his breath on her skin. "And I want you to see me."

DG opened her eyes and met Cain's darkened ones slowly.

"Yes... sweetheart..."

His thrusts became tight and intimate as together, they found an exquisitely primal rhythm of twined heartbeats and entangled breaths.

"Oh God, Wyatt... Wyatt, I'm..."

Helplessly, she felt her eyes fall closed and she savored the feeling of Wyatt's head falling forward to be cradled at her breast.

"Yes, sweetheart..." he said softly, bringing his lips to the warm curve of her neck. "Yes... come with me, DG. I'm right here... I love you..." he breathed unexpectedly, pressing the words gently into her skin like the most sacred of secrets.

He pulled his head up to meet her suddenly wide open eyes. "I love you..."

For a moment, Dorothy was too overwhelmed to do anything but feel her heart burst into a million

glorious pieces, each one becoming like a star in her breast. The dizzying sensation left her breathless until it began to kaleidoscope inward, leaving her trembling and fragile.

"Wyatt..." DG gasped before coming blissfully undone with a bright cry that she muffled in the heated skin of her tin man's shoulder.

Seconds later, Cain fell into her gently, sheltering his own cries in the warm, graceful curve of her neck.

"What happens now, Tin Man?" Dorothy whispered as they slowly came back to themselves and quietly began to untangled entwined limbs.

"I don't know," he confessed softly.

"Don't know?" She echoed just as softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

Wyatt met her uncertain eyes before brushing her wild curls back gently and cradling her face with his large hands. "DG, I didn't expect to fall in love. I didn't think I ever would again... that I could..."

Dorothy interrupted him a small smile.

"Then what you said before..."

Wyatt returned DG's small smile with an almost wry one of his own before brushing a kiss to her forehead. "I meant it... but Kiddo, I'm a rusty old tin man... and as much as I want..."

"What _do _you want, Wyatt?" DG interrupted with a quiet, determined voice.

He took a deep breath before vowing with undeniable sincerity, "I want to make love to you forever."

"Forever?"

"Forever," Wyatt assured her. "But sweetheart..." He brought his lips to hers for a feather soft kiss before whispering, "That's something I'm going to have to relearn how to do," he admitted. "And I think, for these lessons, you're going to have to be the teacher."

DG felt his smile against her lips and it sparked an echo of warm starlight her breast. She smiled in return, her lips caressing his.

"Well then, first lesson, Tin Man," she murmured. "Don't hesitate..."

Her sudden kiss was and warm and subtle, and Wyatt moaned softly as he returned it. And when they finally surfaced from it, it was as swimmers, breathless and a little dizzy.

"Don't hesitate..." he murmured with a hushed breath before giving her a delightfully wicked smile. Then he swept her up in his arms and started to carry her in the direction of his bed.

"You're a quick study..." she half gasped, half laughed.

"Let's just say _you_ inspire me," he replied before kissing her passionately.

"I love you inspired," Dorothy laughed quietly, meeting his adoring eyes. "I love _you_..." she added suddenly. "And we'll learn forever together."

"Together," Wyatt agreed with a small smile...

_**FIN**_


End file.
